Yesterday I met a personal challenge for our time in Palm Desert this year. I hiked the entire length of the Art Smith Trail which turned out to be about 15 miles when I was expecting about 11. A slight miscalculations on the length estimate by the ranger at the Visitor Center. I have been doing longer and longer hikes to get ready but this was the last day to fit in such a long hike. I wanted to leave early but we were entirely encased in fog until about 11 am. As I went up and over and around the mountains between Palm Desert and Cathedral City I got high enough that the air was still white and full of moisture. These are photos from near the end of the hike in an area that leads to Cathedral Canyon - aptly named on this day. After about the first 4-5 miles I was totally alone - did not see any more hikers but, thankfully, at one point some mountain bikers came through from the other end and I could check that I was still on the right trail to the right end. Just kept breathing and putting one foot in front of the other for a total of 33.6 thousand steps. Worth every single one.
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